Compulsory Credits (total of 18)

Students must earn the following compulsory credits in order to obtain the Ontario Secondary School
Diploma:

4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)
1 credit in French as a second language
3 credits in Mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
2 credits in Science
1 credit in Canadian History
1 credit in Canadian Geography
1 credit in the Arts
1 credit in Health and Physical Education
.5 credit in civics
.5 credit in career studies

plus:

1 additional credit in English, or a third language, or social sciences and the humanities, or Canadian and
world studies
1 additional credit in health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies
1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12) or technological education (Grades 9-12)

Optional Credits

In additional the 18 compulsory Ministry credits, student must earn 4 Religion credits in addition to
8 optional credits. Students may earn these credits by successfully completing courses that they have
selected from the courses listed as available in the school course calendar.

Communally Involvement Activities

As part of the diploma requirements, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community
involvement activities. These activities may be completed at any time during their years in the secondary school program.

The community involvement requirement is designed to encourage students to develop awareness and
understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their
communities. The requirement will benefit communities, but its primary purpose is to contribute to student development. It will provide opportunities for students to learn about the contributions they can make to the community.

The test will serve both to determine whether students have acquired the reading and writing skills
considered essential for literacy, and to provide confirmation that those students who have completed the test successfully have attained the provincial expectations for literacy. The test will identify those students who have not demonstrated the required skills and will identify areas in which these students need
remediation. School boards are required to provide remedial assistance for students who do not complete
the test successfully. This assistance should be designed to help students improve their skills so that they are better prepared to retake the literacy test.

Accommodations, Deferrals, and Exemptions
Accommodations. The necessary accommodations must be made to ensure that students who are
receiving special education programs and services and who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) have
a fair and equal opportunity to successfully complete the secondary school literacy test.

While accommodations such as alternative forms of print and extra time are acceptable, the actual content
of the secondary school literacy test must not be altered.

Deferrals. Students who might benefit from a deferral of the test may include students who have been
identified as exceptional and students registered in English as a second language/English literacy
development (ESL/ELD) courses, who have not yet acquired the level of proficiency in English required for
successfully completing the test.

Exemptions. Students whose IEP indicates that the student is not working towards the attainment of a
secondary school diploma may, with parental consent and the approval of the principal, be exempted from
participating in the secondary school literacy test. Students who do not successfully complete the literacy
test will not be able to receive a secondary school diploma.

Substitutions for Compulsory Courses

To meet individual students' needs, principals may replace up to three of these courses (or the equivalent
in half courses) with courses from the remainder of those that meet the compulsory credit requirements.